System and method for dynamically configurable remote data collection from a vehicle

Abstract

A method and system for dynamically configurable remote data collection from a host vehicle in response to a mission-specific data query is described. This includes a host vehicle and a second controller in wireless communication with the host vehicle, wherein the second controller is an off-vehicle controller located remotely from the host vehicle. In one embodiment, the off-vehicle controller is an element of a cloud computing system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicles, off-vehicle communications, and real-time acquisition of data from vehicles. Off-vehicle communications include short-range vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, communications with other smart highway systems, and communications with remote controllers for managing vehicle deployment, maintenance, fault diagnosis, etc. Background Art

[0002] Dynamically configurable data collection from vehicles is needed to facilitate real-time identification and collection of relevant data, where on-demand data collection is text-triggerable. Task automation to support data collection is needed to speed up backend development processes. It is desirable to have a mechanism for remotely configurable collection of data collected by vehicles, where the data can be in the form of sensor data, subsystem data, system data, or vehicle data. Summary of the invention

[0003] A subject vehicle is described and includes vehicle sensors, a first level controller, a second level controller, one or more data watcher routines, a data compiler, a configuration manager, and a telematics system for off-vehicle communications.

[0004] A method and system for dynamically configurable remote data collection from a host vehicle in response to a mission-specific data query is described. This includes a host vehicle and a second controller in wireless communication with the host vehicle, wherein the second controller is an off-vehicle controller located remotely from the host vehicle. In one embodiment, the off-vehicle controller is an element of a cloud computing system.

[0005] The vehicle sensors, the first level controller, and the second level controller generate a plurality of parameters. The second controller generates a mission specific data query in response to a request from an external application to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters. The second controller transmits the mission specific data query to the configuration manager via the telematics system to request the subset of the plurality of parameters, and the data viewer routine captures the subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler. The data compiler transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the second controller.

[0006] An aspect of the present disclosure includes the second controller structuring the plurality of parameters into a data hierarchy structure, wherein the second controller generates a task-specific data query to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters consistent with the data hierarchy structure set by the data compiler.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes setting up a data hierarchy via a configuration manager to include sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the mission specific data query being iterative, including the configuration manager being configured to initially request vehicle data, and in response to the mission specific data query at least one of a request for system data, a request for subsystem data, and a request for sensor data. A data viewer routine captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to a data compiler.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the second controller being configured to set a mission-specific data query to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters such that the mission-specific data query requests data consistent with a data hierarchy of the configuration manager, including sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a configuration manager being configured to request a subset of a plurality of parameters in response to a task-specific data query, wherein the subset of the plurality of parameters includes one of vehicle data, system data, subsystem data, or sensor data, and wherein a data viewer routine captures the subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to a data compiler.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the second controller being a cloud-based controller.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the mission-specific data query being iterative, including the second controller being configured to request data from proximate similarly located vehicles in response to the mission-specific data query.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the second controller being configured to request data in response to the mission specific data query from a proximate similarly located vehicle at the same hierarchical data level as the host vehicle in response to the mission specific data query.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the mission specific data query being iterative, and wherein the second controller is configured to request data from proximate similarly located vehicles at the same hierarchical data level as the host vehicle in response to the mission specific data query.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the plurality of vehicle sensors being configured to monitor operation of a host vehicle.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the plurality of first level controllers being dedicated controllers that perform task specific operations.

[0017] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes the plurality of second level controllers being system level controllers that monitor and control the plurality of first level controllers.

[0018] Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a method for collecting data from a host vehicle, the method comprising generating a task-specific data query via a second controller in response to a request from an external application to obtain a plurality of parameters. The task-specific data query is transmitted to an onboard configuration manager via a telematics system to request the plurality of parameters, and an onboard data compiler captures the plurality of parameters. The plurality of parameters are transmitted to the second controller. The plurality of parameters are arranged in a data hierarchy structure, and the second controller generates a task-specific data query to obtain the plurality of parameters consistent with the data hierarchy structure.

[0019] The concept provides a system that can be dynamically configured to identify and acquire relevant data in real time and can be triggered to collect data as needed, thereby supporting task automation to accelerate the back-end development process. The vehicle data hierarchy coupled with a tightly coordinated vehicle / cloud framework facilitates elastic exercise of iterative control over running data collection tasks after their deployment to find relevant data. This setup supports task automation, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for manual intervention in the cloud and accelerating the data collection task development process for refinement and enhancement. The system is particularly suitable for time-sensitive, information-rich applications such as on-demand collection of raw data for traffic light sensing.

[0020] Solution 1. A system for dynamically configurable remote data collection from a host vehicle, the system comprising:

[0021] a plurality of vehicle sensors, a plurality of first level controllers, a plurality of second level controllers, a data viewer routine, a data compiler, a configuration manager, and a telematics system disposed on a host vehicle;

[0022] a second controller; and

[0023] wherein the telematics system enables wireless communication between the host vehicle and the second controller;

[0024] wherein the second controller is an off-vehicle controller located away from the host vehicle;

[0025] wherein the plurality of vehicle sensors, the plurality of first-level controllers, and the plurality of second-level controllers generate a plurality of parameters;

[0026] wherein the second controller generates a task-specific data query in response to a request from an external application to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters;

[0027] wherein the second controller transmits a mission specific data query to the configuration manager via the telematics system to request a subset of the plurality of parameters;

[0028] wherein the data viewer routine captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler; and

[0029] The data compiler transmits a subset of the plurality of parameters to the second controller.

[0030] Solution 2. The system according to solution 1, wherein the second controller sets the plurality of parameters into a data hierarchy, and wherein the second controller generates a task-specific data query to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters consistent with the data hierarchy.

[0031] Solution 3. The system according to Solution 2, wherein the data hierarchy is configured as sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data.

[0032] Option 4. The system according to Option 2, wherein the configuration manager sets the data hierarchy to include sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data.

[0033] Option 5. The system of Option 2, wherein the mission-specific data query is iterative, including the configuration manager being configured to initially request vehicle data, followed by a request for at least one of system data, subsystem data, and sensor data in response to the mission-specific data query to form a subset of the plurality of parameters; and

[0034] Wherein, the data viewer routine captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler.

[0035] Option 6. The system of Option 2, wherein the configuration manager is configured to initially request vehicle data followed by a request for at least one of system data, subsystem data, and sensor data in response to a mission specific data query to form a subset of the plurality of parameters; and

[0036] Wherein, the data viewer routine captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler.

[0037] Option 7. A system according to Option 1, wherein the second controller is configured to set a task-specific data query to obtain a subset of the multiple parameters, so that the task-specific data query requests data consistent with the data hierarchy structure of the configuration manager, including sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data.

[0038] Option 8. The system of Option 1, wherein the configuration manager is configured to request a subset of the plurality of parameters in response to a task-specific data query, including one of vehicle data, system data, subsystem data, or sensor data;

[0039] wherein the subset of the plurality of parameters comprises one of vehicle data, system data, subsystem data, or sensor data; and

[0040] Wherein, the data viewer routine captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler.

[0041] Option 9. A system according to Option 1, wherein the second controller comprises a cloud-based controller.

[0042] Embodiment 10. The system of embodiment 1, wherein the mission-specific data query is iterative, including the second controller being configured to request data from neighboring similarly located vehicles in response to the mission-specific data query.

[0043] Option 11. A system according to Option 10, wherein the second controller is configured to request data from a nearby similarly located vehicle in response to a mission-specific data query, including: the second controller is configured to request data from a nearby similarly located vehicle at the same hierarchical data level as the main vehicle in response to the mission-specific data query.

[0044] Embodiment 12. The system of embodiment 1, wherein the mission-specific data query is iterative, and wherein the second controller is configured to request data from adjacent similarly located vehicles at the same hierarchical data level as the host vehicle in response to the mission-specific data query.

[0045] Embodiment 13. The system of embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of vehicle sensors are configured to monitor operation of the host vehicle.

[0046] Option 14. A system according to Option 1, wherein the multiple first-level controllers include dedicated controllers that perform task-specific operations.

[0047] Embodiment 15. The system of Embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of second-level controllers comprises a system-level controller that monitors and controls the plurality of first-level controllers.

[0048] Embodiment 16. A method for collecting data from a host vehicle, the method comprising:

[0049] generating, via the second controller, a task-specific data query to obtain a plurality of parameters in response to a request from an external application;

[0050] transmitting a mission specific data query to the onboard configuration manager via the telematics system to request the plurality of parameters;

[0051] capturing the plurality of parameters via an on-board data compiler; and

[0052] transmitting the plurality of parameters to a second controller;

[0053] wherein the plurality of parameters are arranged in a data hierarchy structure; and

[0054] The second controller generates a task-specific data query to obtain a plurality of parameters consistent with the data hierarchy structure.

[0055] Option 17. The method according to Option 16, wherein the data hierarchy is set to sensor data, subsystem data, system data and vehicle data.

[0056] Option 18. A method according to Option 16, wherein the mission-specific data query is iterative, including the configuration manager being configured to request vehicle data, and at least one of a request for system data, a request for subsystem data, and a request for sensor data in response to the mission-specific data query.

[0057] Embodiment 19. The method of embodiment 18 further comprises: requesting data from a neighboring similarly positioned vehicle in response to the mission-specific data query via the second controller.

[0058] Embodiment 20. The method of embodiment 19, wherein requesting data from a neighboring similarly located vehicle in response to the mission-specific data query via the second controller includes: requesting data from a neighboring similarly located vehicle at the same hierarchical data level as the host vehicle in response to the mission-specific data query.

[0059] The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present teachings will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of some best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the present teachings as defined by the appended claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] One or more embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0061] Figure 1 Elements of a data capture system for remotely and dynamically collecting parameters from a host vehicle according to the present disclosure are schematically illustrated.

[0062] Figure 2 The system architecture for a data capture system according to the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0063] Figure 3 An information structure associated with a data viewer routine for a data capture system according to the present disclosure is schematically illustrated.

[0064] Figure 4An embodiment of hierarchical vehicle data for a data capture system according to the present disclosure is schematically illustrated.

[0065] Figure 5 Iterative operation of a data capture system according to the present disclosure is schematically illustrated.

[0066] Figure 6 The operation of an adaptive two-dimensional magnification search algorithm for a data capture system according to the present disclosure is diagrammatically illustrated.

[0067] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale and present slightly simplified representations of various preferred features of the present disclosure as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations and shapes. The details associated with such features will be determined in part by the specific intended application and use environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] As described and shown herein, the components of the disclosed embodiments may be arranged and designed into various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure as claimed, but is merely to represent possible embodiments thereof. In addition, although a large number of specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein, some embodiments may be practiced without some of these details. In addition, for the purpose of clarity, some technical materials understood in the related art are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure.

[0069] As used herein, the term "system" refers to one or a combination of mechanical and electrical actuators, sensors, controllers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), combinatorial logic circuits, software, firmware, and / or other components configured to provide the described functionality.

[0070] Referring now to the drawings, wherein the accompanying drawings are for the purpose of illustrating certain exemplary embodiments and not for the purpose of limiting the same, Figure 1 An embodiment of a data capture system 100 for remotely and dynamically collecting parameters from a host vehicle 10 is schematically illustrated. The data capture system 100 includes a second controller 95 in communication with the host vehicle 10. The second controller 95 is an off-board controller that is located remotely from the host vehicle 10 and wirelessly communicates with the host vehicle 10. In one embodiment, the second controller 95 is an element of a cloud-based computing system (cloud) 90.

[0071] The host vehicle 10 includes systems, components, and sensors employed by a propulsion system 27, a steering system 28, and a braking system 29, which are used to accelerate, steer, and brake the vehicle 10, respectively. In some embodiments, this includes an autonomous operating system 20. In one embodiment, the host vehicle 10 may also include systems, components, and sensors associated with a spatial monitoring system 24; systems, components, and sensors associated with a navigation system 22; and systems, components, and sensors associated with a human-machine interface (HMI) 23. In one embodiment, the host vehicle 10 may also include an onboard navigation map 26 that is accessible to and separate from the navigation system 22, the global positioning system (GPS) sensor 21, and the telematics device 30. Other controllable vehicle systems may include, for example, suspension systems, ride and handling systems, ventilation (heating / ventilation / air conditioning), infotainment, etc.

[0072] The telematics device 30 includes a wireless telematics communication system capable of off-vehicle communications, including communications with a communication network system having wireless and wired communication capabilities. The telematics device 30 is capable of off-vehicle communications, including short-range vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, which may include communications with infrastructure monitors (e.g., traffic cameras) or other smart highway systems. Alternatively or additionally, the telematics device 30 has a wireless telematics communication system capable of short-range wireless communications with a handheld device (e.g., a cellular phone, a satellite phone, or another telephone device). In one embodiment, the handheld device is loaded with a software application that includes a wireless protocol for communicating with the telematics device 30, and the handheld device performs off-vehicle communications, including communicating with the second controller 95 via a communication network, which may include, for example, a satellite 92, an antenna 91, and / or another communication mode. Alternatively or additionally, the telematics device 30 directly performs off-vehicle communications by communicating with the second controller 95 via the communication network.

[0073] The vehicle space monitoring system 24 includes a space monitoring controller that communicates with a plurality of sensing devices. The vehicle space monitoring system 24 dynamically monitors an area adjacent to the main vehicle 10 and generates a digital representation of remote targets observed or otherwise identified. The space monitoring system 24 can determine the linear range, relative speed, and trajectory of each adjacent remote target. In one embodiment, the sensing devices of the space monitoring system 24 may include, by way of non-limiting description, front corner sensors, rear corner sensors, rear side sensors, side sensors, front radar sensors, and cameras, although the present disclosure is not so limited. The placement of the above sensors allows the space monitoring system 24 to monitor traffic flow, including adjacent vehicles and other targets around the main vehicle 10. The data generated by the space monitoring system 24 can be used by a lane marking detection processor (not shown) to estimate the road. The sensing devices of the vehicle space monitoring system 24 may also include target location sensing devices, including ranging sensors such as FM-CW (frequency modulated continuous wave) radar, pulse and FSK (frequency shift keying) radar, and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) devices, as well as ultrasonic devices that rely on effects such as Doppler effect measurement to locate forward targets. Possible target location devices include charge coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) video image sensors, and other cameras / video image processors that use digital photography methods to "see" forward and / or rearward targets (including one or more target vehicles). Such sensing systems are used to detect and locate targets in automotive applications and can be used with autonomous operating systems, including, for example, adaptive cruise control, autonomous braking, autonomous steering, and side target detection.

[0074] For the purpose of directing the operation of the aforementioned vehicle systems, the HMI 23 provides human-machine interaction. The HMI 23 monitors operator requests and provides information to the operator, including the status, service and maintenance information of the vehicle systems. The HMI 23 communicates with multiple on-board operator interface devices and / or controls the operation of multiple on-board operator interface devices. The HMI system 23 may also communicate with one or more devices that monitor biometric data associated with the vehicle operator, including, for example, eye gaze position, posture and head position tracking. For ease of description, the HMI 23 is depicted as an integrated device, but in the embodiments of the system described herein, it may be configured as multiple controllers and associated sensing devices. The on-board operator interface device may include a device capable of interacting with the vehicle operator, and may include an electronic visual display module (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a head-up display (HUD)), an audio feedback device, a wearable device, and a tactile seat.

[0075] The autonomous operating system 20, when employed, is configured to provide a certain level of autonomous vehicle operation. The autonomous operating system 20 includes a controller and one or more subsystems, which may include an autonomous steering system, an adaptive cruise control system, an autonomous braking / collision avoidance system, a lane change control system, and / or other systems configured to command and control autonomous vehicle operations separately from or in conjunction with operator requests. Autonomous operating commands can be generated to control autonomous steering systems, adaptive cruise control systems, autonomous braking / collision avoidance systems, and / or other systems. Vehicle operation includes operating in a propulsion mode in response to a desired command, which may include an operator request and / or an autonomous vehicle request. Vehicle operation (including autonomous driving vehicle operation) includes acceleration, braking, steering, steady-state operation, coasting, and idling. Operator requests can be generated based on operator inputs to an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a steering wheel, a transmission range selector, and a cruise control system via elements of the HMI 23.

[0076] The second controller 95 can be part of the cloud 90 or another form of a backend computing system associated with a service provider. The term "cloud" and related terms can be defined as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services), which can be quickly configured via virtualization and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction, and then expanded accordingly. Cloud models can include various features (e.g., on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pools, rapid elasticity, measured services, etc.), service models (e.g., software as a service ("SaaS"), platform as a service ("PaaS"), infrastructure as a service ("IaaS"), and deployment models (e.g., private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, etc.)).

[0077] The term "controller" and related terms (such as control module, module, control, control unit, processor and similar terms) refer to one or various combinations of the following: application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), electronic circuits, central processing units (e.g., microprocessors) and associated non-transitory memory components in the form of memory and storage devices (read-only, programmable read-only, random access, hard drives, etc.). The non-transitory memory components are capable of storing machine-readable instructions in the form of one or more software or firmware programs or routines, combinational logic circuits, input / output circuits and devices, signal conditioning and buffering circuits, and other components that can be accessed by one or more processors to provide the functions described. The input / output circuits and devices include analog / digital converters and related devices that monitor inputs from sensors, where such inputs are monitored at a preset sampling frequency or in response to a triggering event. Software, firmware, programs, instructions, control routines, codes, algorithms and similar terms mean controller executable instruction sets, including calibration and lookup tables. Each controller executes a control routine to provide the desired function. The routine may be executed at regular intervals, for example, once every 100 microseconds during ongoing operation. Alternatively, the routine may be executed in response to the occurrence of a triggering event. Communication between controllers and between controllers, actuators and / or sensors may be implemented using a direct wired point-to-point link, a networked communication bus link, a wireless link or another suitable communication link, and is represented by a data link 25. Communication includes exchanging data signals in a suitable form, for example, including electrical signals via a conductive medium, electromagnetic signals via air, optical signals via optical waveguides, and the like. The data signal may include a discrete, analog or digitized analog signal representing input from a sensor, an actuator command, and communication between controllers. The term "signal" refers to a physically recognizable indicator of information being transmitted, and may be a suitable waveform (e.g., electrical, optical, magnetic, mechanical or electromagnetic), such as DC, AC, sine wave, triangle wave, square wave, vibration, and the like, which is capable of traveling through a medium.

[0078] A parameter is defined as a measurable quantity that represents a physical property of a device or other element discernible using one or more sensors and / or physical models. A parameter may have discrete values, such as "1" or "0", or may be an infinitely variable value.

[0079] As used herein, the terms "dynamic" and "dynamically" describe a step or process that is performed in real time and is characterized by monitoring or otherwise determining the state of a parameter and regularly or periodically updating the state of the parameter during the execution of a routine or between iterations of the execution of a routine.

[0080] Figure 2Schematically shows the Figure 1 The system architecture of an embodiment of a data capture system 100 is shown in FIG. The data capture system 100 includes a cloud 90 including a second controller 95 that communicates with a host vehicle 10 via one or more control links 35 and one or more data links 25. The task of the data capture system 100 is to remotely and dynamically request selected parameters 32 from the host vehicle 10 via the control link 35, the selected parameters 32 being transmitted to the configuration manager 75 of the host vehicle 10 in response to a task-specific data query 82 generated by an external application 80. A further task of the data capture system 100 is to collect the selected parameters 32 from the host vehicle 10 via the onboard data compiler 70. A further task of the data capture system 100 is to transmit the selected parameters 32 to the second controller 95 via the data link 25.

[0081] The mission specific data query 82 may be iterative, with an initial external application 80 being arranged to initially request vehicle data, followed by a request for system data, followed by a request for subsystem data, followed by a request for sensor data, depending on the results of the mission specific data query 82 and the information needs of the external application 80. The data viewer routine 45 captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler 70.

[0082] The host vehicle 10 includes a plurality of vehicle sensors 40, a plurality of first level controllers 50, and a plurality of second level controllers 60. The vehicle sensors 40, the first level controllers 50, and the second level controllers 60 are referred to as Figure 1 The autonomous operating system 20, GPS sensor 21, navigation system 22, HMI 23, spatial monitoring system 24, onboard navigation map 26, propulsion system 27, steering system 28, braking system 29, etc. are used as described. Vehicle sensors 40, first level controller 50 and second level controller 60 generate sensor data, subsystem data, system data and vehicle data. The sensor data, subsystem data, system data and vehicle data from the host vehicle are set as hierarchical vehicle data 400, as shown in reference Figure 4 Just as described.

[0083] The selected parameters 32 captured from one or more of the vehicle sensors 40, the first level controller 50 and the second level controller 60 include parameters that can be obtained from one or more of the autonomous operating system 20, the GPS sensor 21, the navigation system 22, the HMI 23, the spatial monitoring system 24, the on-board navigation map 26, the propulsion system 27, the steering system 28, the braking system 29, etc.

[0084] The host vehicle 10 includes a plurality of vehicle sensors 40 configured to monitor parameters. The vehicle sensors 40 communicate with a corresponding plurality of first level controllers 50 via a data link 25. Non-limiting examples of the vehicle sensors 40 include sensors for the autonomous operating system 20, GPS sensor 21, navigation system 22, HMI 23, spatial monitoring system 24, onboard navigation map 26, propulsion system 27, steering system 28, braking system 29, etc.

[0085] The host vehicle 10 includes a plurality of first level controllers 50. The first level controllers 50 are dedicated controllers that perform mission specific operations. Each of the first level controllers 50 is configured to capture sensor data 42 from one or more of the vehicle sensors 40 and generate subsystem data 52 based thereon.

[0086] The host vehicle 10 includes a plurality of second level controllers 60. The second level controllers 60 are system controllers that perform system level operations. Each of the second level controllers 60 is configured to capture subsystem data 52 from one or more of the first level controllers 50 and generate system data 62. Systems employing the second level controllers 60 include, by way of non-limiting example, the autonomous operating system 20, the navigation system 22, the HMI 23, the space monitoring system 24, the propulsion system 27, the steering system 28, the braking system 29, etc. Each of the systems includes subsystems, components, and sensors that operate to provide functionality associated with system operation.

[0087] Each of the second level controllers 60 includes a data observer routine 45 configured to capture selected parameters 32 from sensor data, subsystem data, and system data generated by one or more of the vehicle sensors 40, the first level controller 50, and / or the second level controller 60. One of the second level controllers 60 includes a vehicle level data observer routine 46 configured to capture selected vehicle level data parameters 63 generated by one or more of the vehicle sensors 40, the first level controller 50, and / or the second level controller 60. The vehicle level data parameters 63 are a portion of the parameters 32.

[0088] The data viewer routine 45 transmits the selected parameters 32 and the vehicle level data parameters 63 to the data compiler 70. The data compiler 70 transmits the selected parameters 32 to the cloud 90 via the telematics device 30.

[0089] The data observer routine 45 monitors the vehicle sensors 40, the first level controller 50 and the second level controller 60 and dynamically captures selected parameters 32 which are communicated to the compiler 70 in response to the mission specific data query 82. This will refer to Figure 3 Described with additional details.

[0090] External application 80 is an element of cloud 90. In one embodiment, external application 80 provides information to an intelligent vehicle highway system, an intelligent transportation system, an intelligent highway system, a highway traffic management system, or another system.

[0091] The data capture system 100 provides a collaborative system between the vehicle data viewer routines 45, 46 and the second controller 95 set on the vehicle to provide a cloud-based query system with zoom-in capabilities that incorporates a structured vehicle data hierarchy. The setup combines iterative real-time task control and set-up vehicle data collection together. The data hierarchy may be defined by a domain expert on the cloud 90 and implemented via the second controller 95. The vehicle side of the data capture system 100 will obtain an exact copy of the hierarchy definition. Once the cloud generates a request based on the hierarchy, the vehicle side can act accordingly. For example, if the cloud asks the vehicle to go one level deeper, the vehicle will figure out what the vehicle data for the next level is. Individual vehicles do not define the data hierarchy.

[0092] Figure 3 Schematically illustrates an information structure 300 associated with a data viewer routine 45, 46, which may be Figure 2 The vehicle 10 includes an autonomous operation system (AV) 20, a GPS sensor (GPS) 21, a navigation system (Nav) 22, an HMI 23, a spatial monitoring system (Spatial) 24, an onboard navigation map (Map) 26, a propulsion system (P) 27, a steering system (S) 28, a braking system (B) 29, etc., which generates sensor data 42 from a vehicle sensor 40, generates subsystem data 52 from a first-level controller 50, generates system data 62 from a second-level controller 60, and generates HMI data 33 indicating driver intervention from the HMI 23.

[0093] The information structure 300 may also include data from similarly positioned vehicles in proximity to the host vehicle 10, including, by way of non-limiting example, the second vehicle 110, the third vehicle 210, and the fourth vehicle 310. By way of non-limiting example, the second vehicle 110 may be referenced by Figure 1 The described external application 80 queries to provide sensor data 142 from a first vehicle sensor of a second vehicle 110, subsystem data 152 from a first level controller of the second vehicle 110, system data 162 from a second level controller of the second vehicle 110, and HMI data 133 indicating driver intervention from an HMI of the second vehicle 110.

[0094] By way of non-limiting example, the third vehicle 210 may respond to a reference Figure 1The query of the external application 80 described above provides sensor data 242 from a first vehicle sensor of the third vehicle 210 , subsystem data 252 from a first level controller of the third vehicle 210 , and system data 262 from a second level controller of the third vehicle 210 .

[0095] By way of non-limiting example, the fourth vehicle 310 may be referred to as Figure 1 The depicted external application 80 provides sensor data 342 from a first vehicle sensor of the fourth vehicle 310 , subsystem data 352 from a first level controller of the fourth vehicle 310 , and system data 362 from a second level controller of the fourth vehicle 310 .

[0096] The data observer routine 45 may be used to identify or infer vehicle system problems based on data inconsistencies between average and abnormal data of sensor data, inconsistencies between vehicle-level data 62 and system-level data 52, inconsistencies between vehicle-level data 62 and driver interventions indicated by HMI data 33, and other inconsistencies. The data observer routine 45 may be used to identify or infer vehicle system problems based on data inconsistencies between vehicle-level data of the host vehicle and vehicle-level data of similarly positioned vehicles adjacent to the host vehicle 10.

[0097] Parameters from the host vehicle 10 are provided as layered vehicle data 400, including sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data. Figure 1 The data capture system 100, Figure 4 An embodiment of hierarchical vehicle data 400 of a host vehicle 10 is schematically illustrated, which can be understood and accessed by a data viewer routine 45 of the host vehicle 10. The hierarchical vehicle data 400 includes sensor data 410, subsystem data 420, system data 430, and vehicle-level data 440, which are depicted as a pyramid to indicate the relative amount of data generated and therefore available. The sensor data 410 can be ultra-detailed, where the subsystem data 420, system data 430, and vehicle-level data 440 have less detailed data or are in the form of summary data. The vehicle 10 and the second controller 95 have a common definition of the data hierarchy, which facilitates the setup and execution of queries. The mission-specific data query 82 may initially include a low-frequency temporary monitor query, which can be converted to a high-frequency and / or high-resolution query in response to a request for more careful investigation generated by an external application 80. Due to the transmission of a lower level of data, the response to a query request for vehicle-level data 440 consumes less communication bandwidth than a query request for sensor data 410.

[0098] and Figure 1The setup of hierarchical vehicle data 400 associated with the data viewer routine 45 of the data capture system 100 provides a dynamic, text-driven, multi-level data query mechanism with zoom-in capabilities, leveraging a well-defined multi-level vehicle data pyramid framework. This enables a lightweight cloud-assisted, remotely configurable vehicle data collection mechanism. The on-board data viewer routine 45 monitors vehicle data in response to triggers obtained from queries generated locally or by one or more applications 80 in the cloud 90, and submits data reports with the required level of detail to the applications 80 in the cloud 90 for analysis. The system integrates well with applications and can control tasks in real time with low overhead.

[0099] Figure 5 The iterative operation of the data capture system 100 is schematically illustrated to remotely and dynamically collect selected parameters from the host vehicle 10 and transmit them to the cloud 90 in response to a mission-specific data query 82 generated by an external application 80. The data capture system 100 includes a multi-level data query mechanism, a well-defined multi-level vehicle data pyramid framework in the form of hierarchical vehicle data 400 and a corresponding cloud-based data hierarchy 401. The operation of the data capture system 100 employs an iterative process to collect selected parameters from the host vehicle 10 and transmit them to the cloud 90 in response to the mission-specific data query 82, as described below. As shown, the mission-specific data query 82 generated by the external application 80 can initiate a vehicle-level data request 441 from the host vehicle 10 via a first control link 451, wherein the vehicle-level data 440 is generated and transmitted to the cloud 90 via a first communication link 461. After evaluation, the mission-specific data query 82 can initiate a system data request 431 from the host vehicle 10 via a second control link 452, wherein the system data 430 is generated and transmitted to the cloud 90 via a second communication link 462. After further evaluation, the mission-specific data query 82 may initiate a subsystem data request 421 from the host vehicle 10 via the third control link 453, wherein subsystem data 420 is generated and transmitted to the cloud 90 via the third communication link 463. After further evaluation, the mission-specific data query 82 may initiate a sensor data request 411 from the host vehicle 10 via the fourth control link 454, wherein sensor data 410 is generated and transmitted to the cloud 90 via the fourth communication link 464.

[0100] Mission-specific data query 82 may generate system data requests from hierarchical vehicle data 400, including sensor data 410, subsystem data 420, system data 430, vehicle-level data 440, or a combination thereof. Hierarchical vehicle data 400 includes sensor data 410, subsystem data 420, system data 430, and vehicle data 440.

[0101] Under certain conditions, data from different levels can be collected. As the cloud acquires additional data, the data may contain more details, which can help the cloud process better define the conditions for data collection. This can be useful when the conditions collected at the vehicle data level are different from those collected at the sensor data level.

[0102] Figure 6 Diagrammatically shows that Figure 1 The adaptive two-dimensional magnified search algorithm 600 of the elements of the data capture system 100 is executed to collect sufficient data from the host vehicle 10 and similarly positioned vehicles adjacent to the host vehicle 10 to perform analysis, such as determining the occurrence and root cause of changes in traffic patterns, determining the status of traffic signals, etc. The two-dimensional aspect refers to the ability to collect data from adjacent similarly positioned vehicles 110, 210 and to collect additional data at increasingly complex levels with the associated data communication and analysis burden.

[0103] At the first level 610, the data capture system 100 monitors vehicle data from the host vehicle 10 at the first level in response to the initial mission-specific data query 82 and transmits the first level data to the cloud 90. The first level corresponds to the reference Figure 4 Vehicle data 440 of hierarchical vehicle data 400 is depicted.

[0104] At the second level 620, based on the analysis of the first level data that may require additional data, the adaptive two-dimensional zoom search algorithm 600 may update the initial mission-specific data query 82 to collect data including the first level data 440 by zooming in on the system, subsystem, and / or sensor. This includes collecting one of the selected system data 430, the selected subsystem data 420, or the selected sensor data 410 from the host vehicle 10. This may be an iterative process that instructs the data capture system 100 to monitor vehicle data for triggers obtained from the host vehicle 10 and / or the cloud 90 to determine what data needs to be selected.

[0105] At the third level 630, additional vehicle data may need to be collected or requested from similarly located vehicles 110, 210 in proximity to the host vehicle 10. An intermediate step may be required to identify which neighboring vehicles are configured to generate vehicle data that is compatible with the hierarchical vehicle data 400 employed by the host vehicle 10, including sensor data 410, subsystem data 420, system data 430, and vehicle-level data 440. At the third level 630, neighboring similarly located vehicles 110, 210 at the same level as the host vehicle 10 are queried. Specifically, the adaptive two-dimensional magnification search algorithm 600 may update the initial mission-specific data query 82 to collect data at the first level of data, indicated by the first level data 440' from the vehicle 110 and the first level data 440" from the vehicle 210. Additionally, the adaptive two-dimensional zoomed-in search algorithm 600 may update the initial mission-specific data query 82 to collect a second level of data by zooming in on one of the systems, subsystems, or sensors to collect selected system data 430', 430", selected subsystem data 420', 420", or selected sensor data 410', 420", from adjacent similarly positioned vehicles 110, 210, respectively.

[0106] At the fourth level 640, additional vehicle data may need to be collected or requested from the host vehicle 10 and similarly located vehicles 110, 210 adjacent to the host vehicle 10. At the fourth level 640, the host vehicle 10 and adjacent similarly located vehicles 110, 210 at the same level as the host vehicle 10 are queried. Specifically, the adaptive two-dimensional zoom-in search algorithm 600 may update the initial mission-specific data query 82 to collect additional data including the first level data 440, 440', and 440" by zooming in on systems, subsystems, and / or sensors to collect selected system data 430, 430', 430", selected subsystem data 420, 420', 420", and selected sensor data 410, 410', 410" from the host vehicle 10 and adjacent similarly located vehicles 110, 210, respectively.

[0107] The use of a two-dimensional data hierarchy structure using an adaptive two-dimensional magnified search algorithm 600 allows the second controller 90 to identify neighboring vehicles for inclusion or exclusion with minimal or no human intervention based on the identification of incorrect outputs and overfitting to known correct data. One or more vehicles may be identified by the adaptive two-dimensional magnified search algorithm 600 for interrogation and magnified data queries, and factors may be evaluated to determine whether the vehicle has the communication bandwidth to complete the magnified data query. Determining factors include identifying whether the host vehicle is required to perform multiple tasks related to other queries, data traffic profiles within the geographic range, the number of vehicles within the range, etc., and an assessment of the probability or likelihood of data loss. Amplified data queries requested from multiple neighboring vehicles may result in an exponential increase in communications, resulting in saturation and overloading of available communication bandwidth and loss of relevant data.

[0108] The adaptive two-dimensional enlarged search algorithm 600 can perform an evaluation of the available communication bandwidth for the data query to determine an overload factor for the data query, taking into account the number of nearby available vehicles and the potential for enlarging the query to include system data, subsystem data, and / or sensor data. The evaluation of the available communication bandwidth includes determining that the enlarged query will succeed when the data transmission from the nearby available vehicles and the system data, subsystem data, and / or sensor data in response to the data query is less than the bandwidth.

[0109] The concepts described herein provide an architecture with an onboard data observer capability with a well-defined multi-level vehicle data pyramid framework. Cloud applications guide the collection process and request relevant information, which may range from high-level system-level information to very detailed sensor outputs to enable root cause analysis of problems (which may be difficult to predict or initially unknown), while managing the communication burden, i.e., avoiding unnecessary large data transfers. Iterative two-dimensional amplification capabilities enable real-time mission queries from the cloud to the host vehicle 10, ensuring fast vehicle-cloud interaction for latency-sensitive user cases. This includes a close collaborative exchange between the vehicle data observer and the cloud-based amplification function using a structured vehicle data hierarchy, combining iterative real-time mission control and structured vehicle data collection.

[0110] This teaching may be described herein in terms of functions and / or logic block components and / or various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such block components may be composed of hardware, software and / or firmware components that have been configured to perform a specified function. Embodiments may also be implemented in a cloud computing environment. The flowcharts and block diagrams in the flowcharts illustrate the architecture, functions and operations of possible implementations of the system, method and computer program product according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, section or part of a code, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It will also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart illustration and the combination of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart illustration may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions that perform a specified function or action. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium, which may guide a controller or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce a manufactured product, including instructions for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more boxes of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0111] The detailed description and the accompanying drawings or figures are support and description of the present teaching, but the scope of the present teaching is limited only by the claims. Although the best mode and some of other embodiments for carrying out the present teaching have been described in detail, there are various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the present teaching defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically configurable remote data collection from a host vehicle, the system comprising: a plurality of vehicle sensors, a plurality of first level controllers, a plurality of second level controllers, a data viewer routine, a data compiler, a configuration manager, and a telematics system disposed on a host vehicle; A second controller; as well as wherein the telematics system enables wireless communication between the host vehicle and the second controller; wherein the second controller is an off-vehicle controller located away from the host vehicle; wherein the plurality of vehicle sensors, the plurality of first-level controllers, and the plurality of second-level controllers generate a plurality of parameters; wherein the second controller generates a task-specific data query in response to a request from an external application to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters, the second controller arranges the plurality of parameters into a data hierarchy, the data hierarchy being arranged as sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data, the second controller generates the task-specific data query to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters consistent with the data hierarchy; wherein the second controller transmits a mission specific data query to the configuration manager via the telematics system to request a subset of the plurality of parameters; The mission specific data query includes an adaptive two-dimensional amplified search algorithm that iteratively collects one of sensor data, subsystem data, system data from a host vehicle and performs an evaluation of available communication bandwidth for the mission specific data query; wherein the data viewer routine captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler; and The data compiler transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the second controller only when the subset of the plurality of parameters is smaller than an available communication bandwidth.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The second controller is configured to set a mission-specific data query to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters such that the mission-specific data query requests data consistent with a data hierarchy of the configuration manager, including sensor data, subsystem data, system data, and vehicle data.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The configuration manager is configured to request a subset of the plurality of parameters in response to a mission-specific data query, including one of vehicle data, system data, subsystem data, or sensor data; wherein the subset of the plurality of parameters comprises one of vehicle data, system data, subsystem data, or sensor data; and Wherein, the data viewer routine captures a subset of the plurality of parameters and transmits the subset of the plurality of parameters to the data compiler.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The second controller includes a cloud-based controller.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The second controller is configured to request data from a proximate positioning vehicle in response to a mission specific data query.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein: The second controller being configured to request data from a neighboring located vehicle in response to the mission specific data query includes the second controller being configured to request data from a neighboring located vehicle at the same hierarchical data level as the host vehicle in response to the mission specific data query.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The mission specific data query is iterative, and wherein the second controller is configured to request data from adjacent located vehicles at the same hierarchical data level as the host vehicle in response to the mission specific data query.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of vehicle sensors are configured to monitor operation of the host vehicle.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of first level controllers include dedicated controllers that perform task specific operations.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of second level controllers include a system level controller that monitors and controls the plurality of first level controllers.

11. A method for collecting data from a host vehicle, the method comprising: generating a plurality of parameters via a plurality of vehicle sensors, a plurality of first level controllers, and a plurality of second level controllers; arranging the plurality of parameters into a data hierarchy structure via a second controller, the data hierarchy structure being arranged into sensor data, subsystem data, system data and vehicle data; generating, via the second controller, a mission-specific data query in response to a request from an external application to obtain a subset of the plurality of parameters consistent with the data hierarchy, the mission-specific data query comprising an adaptive two-dimensional magnification search algorithm that iteratively collects one of sensor data, subsystem data, and system data from a host vehicle and performs an evaluation of available communication bandwidth for the mission-specific data query; transmitting a mission specific data query to the onboard configuration manager via the telematics system to request the plurality of parameters; capturing a subset of the plurality of parameters via an on-board data compiler; as well as The subset of the plurality of parameters is transmitted to the second controller only when the subset of the plurality of parameters is less than the available communication bandwidth.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: Data is requested from the proximate positioning vehicle via the second controller in response to the mission specific data query.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Requesting data from the neighboring located vehicles in response to the mission-specific data query via the second controller includes requesting data from the neighboring located vehicles at the same hierarchical data level as the host vehicle in response to the mission-specific data query.

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